Research has shown that peer-to-peer support is a highly effective intervention for reducing anxiety and depression among college students (Huang et al. meta-analysis, 2018). In fact, 67% of college students tell a friend they are struggling with their mental health before telling anyone else. (Albright & Schwartz, 2017).
U-Thrive Educational Services is proud to partner with Active Minds, the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for young adults, to offer our Peer-to-Peer Wellness Curriculum. The U-Thrive & Active Minds Peer-To-Peer Wellness Curriculum is designed to:
- Support college student mental health by cultivating a sense of connection among students and their campus community regarding their individual mental well-being.
- Provide a shared language to discuss mental health and how it affects everyone.
- Reduce barriers among campus members (including students, faculty, administrators, and staff) to initiate and continue conversations about mental health.
This curriculum provides students with an opportunity to create community and learning through engagement with peers around the important topic of mental health. It can be utilized by residential assistants, peer mentors, orientation leaders, or other peer-to-peer groups and provides tailored resources, a consistent structure, and open-ended questions mapping to five focus areas:
- Education
- Awareness
- Connection
- Community
- Action & Advocacy
Curriculum Content by Module
Module 1: Understanding Well-being
Module 2: Stress Management
Module 3: Movement, Sleep, and Mind-Body Connection
Module 4: Mindsets
Module 5: Patterns of Thinking and Cognitive Biases
Module 6: Mental Health, Culture, and Seeking Professional Help
Module 7: Connecting with Others to Thrive
Module 8: Using Social Media
Module 9: Goal Setting
Module 10: Self-Compassion
Module 11: Mindfulness
Module 12: Doing What You Love
Curriculum Features
- Topic. The topic for the module.
- Focus area. Identifies which of the five focus areas this module is most closely aligned.
- Learning objectives. Highlights what participants can anticipate learning upon completion of the module.
- Opening activity. Helps to develop connection, encourage engagement, and open discussion on mental well-being among participants.
- Content. Includes general commentary on subject matter, main points, and discussion prompts to facilitate meaningful conversation as well as recommended activities for participants to allow for a fully engaged experience.
- Discussion questions. Encourages conversation and debrief content to promote learning. The most amount of time in each module is allocated for discussion.
- How to take action. Recommendations on ways students can take what they discuss outside of the group and to the campus community.
Curriculum Highlights
- Easy to Use. Step-by-step guidance provided. No prior knowledge of Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, or Self-Compassion is required.
- Flexible Use. Can be condensed or expanded to meet class length and specific needs.
- Comprehensive. Detailed and thorough explanations provided to prepare facilitators to lead meaningful discussions.
- Experiential. Encourages students to use critical thinking skills while learning tangible applications of content to implement in real life.
- Creates Community. Allows peers to connect on the shared social and emotional aspects of the college experience and to discuss proactive ways to thrive in college and beyond.